Natasha Richardson News Archive

As we previously mentioned, Catherine Zeta-Jones was rumored to be teaming up with Broadway legend Angela Lansbury for Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music and now, it's official!

The show, which will open at the Walter Kerr Theater in mid-December, is based on Ingmar Bergman's 1955 film Smiles of a Summer Night and has not been revived since its original 1973 run. That is, unless you count the benefit performance in January staring Natasha Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave.

Those are some talented shoes to fill and we have no doubt Lansbury can pull it off! Plus, she's no stranger to Sondheim, originating the legendary role of Mrs. Lovett in 1979 AND she's still going strong at 83!

This will mark Catherine's broadway debut in the role of Desiree, an actress in fin-de-siecle Sweden, while her mother (Lansbury) is raising her child.

Five months after his wife, Natasha Richardson, passed away, Liam Neeson, opens up on how the tragic accident has affected him and his family.

The actor claims that he and the couple's two sons are "doing good," but taking it one day at a time.

As it should be!

Liam says found strength in the many condolence letters he received during that time.

"That is partly the reason why I've recently become an American citizen," Neeson says of the support he received. "I'm still a proud Irishman, of course, but I've become an American citizen - I'm very proud of that."

Billy Bob Thornton's ex-wife is comparing the death of the 1-year-old her daughter was babysitting to the accident that took the life of Natasha Richardson earlier this year.

Melissa Gatlin doesn't believe her daughter should be charged with child neglect because there was no way she could have known the child was injured.

Thornton's daughter, Amanda Brumfield, witnessed the baby fall from her playpen and hit her head, but she made the unfortunate decision to not call 911 because there were "no signs of distress."

Brumfield reportedly noticed that the young child's tongue was bleeding, but thought nothing of it because she was "happy and playful."

Major mistake!

Amanda took a nap and when she awoke, the child's body was limp. The baby had passed away due to a subdural hematoma.

Gatlin compared the tragic incident to the late Natasha Richardson's skiing accident earlier this year, explaining, "When you have a situation that does not indicate distress… There are no signs of distress, then there is no reason to immediately call police."

Here's the major difference: Richardson refused medical treatment, which a one-year-old doesn't have the capability of doing.

It was Thornton's daughter's responsibility - as the babysitter - for the child's well being!

During amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS event in Cannes on Thursday night, Sharon Stone paid an emotional tribute to late amfAR activist and beloved actress, Natasha Richardson, who unexpectedly died in March.

"This year we lost an angel from our amfAR family," said Stone. "It was one of those random events that leaves you in a state of shock and profound grief. People say, 'Oh, she can't really have been that great or graceful.' She was. 'That funny, charming, sweet and elegant.' She was. She left behind her husband and two stunningly beautiful children and an unfinished mission to help us find a cure AIDS."

After viewing a short film documenting Richardson's steadfast campaigning for the charity, Stone read a note from Richardson's husband, Liam Neeson, urging continuation of amfAR's great work.

Completing the tribute, Stone also pledged $50,000 of her own money to honor Richardson while Annie Lennox sang Talking To An Angel in honor of Natasha.

It's just been reported that after Richardson was taken off life support, her family requested that her organs be donated in order to help others.

A family friend says that is definitely something Natasha would have wanted. Adding, "She spent so much time fighting the stigma of AIDS; someone like that would naturally donate her organs. At least by donating her organs something good could come out of [the tragedy]."

As for her husband of 14 years, Liam Neeson, sources say he's doing ok.

Another family friend says "Liam is doing okay. It takes a while to absorb this. But he says the family needs to move forward. They will take it one step at a time. With good friends by their side, they will get through the tough days ahead."

The timeline of events following Natasha Richardson's tragic accident have been pieced together, revealing "critical lapses in her care" that may have led to the actress' death.

Richardson fell not long after 12:43 pm on Monday, which was when a member of the Mont Tremblant ski patrol was dispatched to the site of Natasha's accident.

An ambulance arrived at 1:00 pm to the bottom of the ski slope and waited for Richardson to meet paramedics for treatment via toboggan.

Richardson reportedly "whisk[ed] by on the sled without stopping," and the ski patrol informed the paramedics that Natasha had refused treatment and they were free to go.

Richardson made a stop at the Mont Tremblant clinic with her ski instructor, which may or may not have been staffed by a physician, and headed back to her suite at a nearby hotel.

Another ambulance was dispatched to the hotel at 3:00 pm after Richardson's ski instructor called the hotel manager.

"The instructor called the general manager and said Richardson had a headache and she was not feeling well. The [general manager] went to see her said she was going to call an ambulance. Richardson said she didn't need an ambulance or a doctor - and the GM insisted that an ambulance come and get her," revealed Yves Coderre, director of the ambulance company that services Mont Tremblant.

When paramedics arrived to Richardson's room, they saw "something that wasn't right… [The paramedic] saw some signs indicating her condition was destabilizing. He called ahead to the hospital to let them know of her condition and he put the siren on," said Coderre.

Richardson left Mont Tremblant for Centre Hospitalier Laurentain in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts at 3:47 pm where the actress' condition was stabilized.

After being stabilized, Natasha was rushed to the trauma center of the Sacre-Coeur hospital in Montreal. Richardson did not arrive to the trauma center until 7:00 pm due to the 52 mile trek between the two hospitals.

The Sacre-Coeur hospital was unable to provide helicopter transportation to the late actress because Montreal is unequipped with helicopters for medical transport.

"Our system isn't set up for traumas and doesn't match what's available in other Canadian cities, let alone in the States," said Tarek Razek, the director of trauma services for the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal.

How heartbreaking.

We only hope Natasha's untimely death will set the wheels in motion for a reevaluation of the trauma system in Montreal.

A new Bill Cosby accuser's story of how he allegedly sexually assaulted her after drugging her drink is horrifying.

According to Patricia, -- who decided to keep her last name anonymous -- Bill invited her to a dinner party in 1978 after they met at a conference... a dinner party that ended up just being the two of them: